Locked in the Vault
by Jessica Holmes
Summary: My version of the areas of Tifa's heart and mind Cloud would see if the lifestream somehow allowed him a glimpse. He sees himself and Aeris through Tifa's eyes. Another CloTi, but it's a wierd one folks.
1. I

**Locked in the vault**

_Cloud had always wondered what was in the depths of Tifa's mind. After journeying into his own thoughts in the lifestream, he felt she should return the favour and allow him passing into hers._

_But what if that were to happen?_

_Really._

_Even Cloud wasn't prepared for the nightmares he would see in her imagination, that day when the lifestream tendrils smothered the whole team of AVALANCHE, when Cloud had grabbed hold of Tifa so tightly, their limbs entwined, her head lay clutched to his chest as she surrendered to her hero to save her like he'd promised._

_Then the tendril carefully picked them out and dove through both of their hearts in the same moment._

_They fell unconscious simultaneously in the same instant…_

_And this time, it was Cloud who was invited into her imaginary..._

Cloud blinked.

Gradually, a cold, bleak corridor came into focus. He was lying on his front, and though he must have been knocked out from the fall he gathered, to have been sleeping here, he did not feel any signs of pain. Come to think of it, he didn't feel anything…if it was cold, as the fog from his breath suggested, he didn't feel it.

And then, a shining young female face crouched down in front of him, with cute, pinch-able cheeks and big warm dancing brown eyes, swimming with wine coloured tints. He blinked again. The little girl mimicked him, blinking her eyes back, giggling as she did so.

"Hehe…Cloudy!" She dubbed him. Cloud shivered at the nickname, and suddenly sat up. The girl jumped back, tumbling to fall on her rear. She frowned and pulled a face at him before unsteadily getting to her feet – by means of putting her hands on the floor and pushing her bum up first, then letting go of the floor and wobbling before she could stand again.

Then she turned, and time slowed, as if Cloud was watching a slow-motion picture moving. The little girl's long hair was swept round in a gradual movement, her smiling little face coming into focus eventually.

I know her… he realised.

Then time instantly caught up again, as the little girl brushed down her blue dress and fixed the high ribbon in her long hair and stepped forward, leaning to yank at Cloud's arm.

"Up…up!" She said, in between huffed breaths as she heaved at his arm.

Cloud did as the girl asked and slowly got to his feet.

The girl smiled in admiration of her achievement an grasped the edges of her skirt, pulling them out slightly so she could curtsey.

"Tifa" She said, in the same echoed, fresh young voice as before, turning from side to side with an embarrassed grin on her face, as if she had been expecting to meet him like this.

Cloud just stared at the pint-size version of his friend. "Uh…Cloud." He muttered back, pointing to himself. He was surprised at how empty and wispy his voice sounded, like he was standing miles away in a great hall, his small voice bouncing off the walls.

The girl giggled and nodded before walking up to him and curling her fingers around his giant hand and gently pulling him to walk with her further down the dingy corridor. The structure was similar to the SHINRA mansion, old, dark, and intricate. But this wasn't the SHINRA mansion. This was like a huge castle, if only one of the corridors was this old, and long.

Eventually the little girl -Tifa – stopped. Froze.

Cloud looked at her, then looked around them. There was nothing. The corridor was empty, both ways. What was wrong?

He soon found out.

The next time Cloud looked up expecting to see the long corridor; he found it abruptly ended – as a pane of glass.

Lights blazed around the arched top of the glass, like little dots. Tifa's mother's voice, the one Cloud recognised from years ago, filled the air. She called to her little girl, saying her name over the background sound of her voice that was singing a tender song he also recognised.

Tifa smiled and let go of Cloud, pressing her hands out as she swayed, singing along with her mother, her own delicate voice making Cloud grin to himself.

Never knew you were the singing type Tifa…

Then her mother's singing faltered, croaked. She coughed painfully and then in a whispered voice she called to her daughter once more.

Tifa trembled, her tiny fists clenched at her mouth as her eyes filled with frightened tears.

"Mommy…" She whispered. Cloud knelt down to her and tried to hold her to him, he knew what was coming.

He knew of the fate of this little girl's mother…

Suddenly a beating heart could be heard. Tifa knew it was her mother, and pushed Cloud away, the tears clearly running down her cheeks. She turned and looked up at the star like lights around the glass, as they blinked on and off, along with the sound of the heartbeat fading.

The girl sniffled in lost hope as the lights of her mother's life eventually faded.

The glass became penetrable, and showed a long path with blossom trees either side.

The heartbeat stopped.

The lights went out.

Tifa looked up, her breathing and sobbing the only sounds Cloud could hear, and it tore him to pieces.

Suddenly, Tifa screamed at the top of her lungs.

And before Cloud could stop the little one, she ran straight for the glass, her form passing through it with ease, and she scattered down the path before her, the blossom trees wilting into dead twigs shrouded in darkness when she passed them.

Cloud placed his hands against the glass and called out for her to come back, as he watched her disappear from view, and the darkness smother the once pleasant, blossoming scene until it resembled a bitter graveyard of dead trees.

He gave up calling.

And shrank to the ground.

Where was he? Was this a dream? Why had he been shown Tifa finding out about her mother's death in such a wrong way? Tifa wasn't even that young when it happened…

But he didn't have much time to reflect.

Suddenly Tifa stepped in front of him once more. This time she was…much older. The age she was now, well now meaning, in real lifetime.

Cloud looked up and his lips parted in awe, as he inhaled largely at the sight of her.

She walked toward him, bare foot, dressed in a black dress that clung to her figure and loosely danced around her legs, the cut of the skirt, slanting diagonally across her thighs, the longest part finishing just below her knee.

Her silent footsteps embedded on his chest, each step in time with his heartbeat, as if she was commanding him. The closer she came to him, the more visible she became as she stepped into the dim flickering firelight hanging on the corridor walls either side of him.

He shifted nervously, his gaze never leaving the captivating sight of her.

She reached him eventually, her open hand extended down to him. As she moved her hand upwards slowly, his body obeyed, rising from his position until he stood on his feet, directly in front of her, facing her.

She stepped silently towards him, her body up against him. His breath shuddered as he felt her warmth slide up to consume him. His hands trembled as they slammed back to press, palms down, back against the wall he was up against.

She played with his gaze, switching between looking him in the eye, and down at his chest where her finger was tracing invisible lines through the opening in his shirt left by the top two buttons being left undone.

He didn't possess such an item as the black shirt he was wearing, but he didn't care less right now how he had gotten into it. His full attention was on her.

He could hear traces of haunting music, voices, trailing down the corridor, as if being released from a secret room somewhere.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations she was making him feel, just by merely touching him. The haunting music mesmerized him, adding to how surreal this all was.

Suddenly, he felt her warm breath on his neck, her lips brushing his skin with soft kisses. He shuddered, tensing his fingers against the cold wall when he felt her teeth gently bite pinches of his neck. He let her name escape his lips in a whisper of contentment while he enjoyed her.

Then came the light.

In a sudden rush, bursts of colourful light cracked open in the open night sky. Fireworks. He had to cover his ears from this sudden change in noise, and his head shot upwards to see the artificial stars shower from beautiful explosions against a star filled black sky.

"Isn't it beautiful Cloud?" He suddenly looked down, removing his hands from his ears to see – his setting had changed again, if barely. He was looking in the face of the innocent Aeris, smiling like a little child as she looked from him, to the window of their gondola cart. He blinked a few times, and looked around.

"Where's Tifa?" He asked out loud. He turned back to Aeris for a reply, but she seemingly hadn't heard him. "Cloud…Tifa would probably just come out and say it…" she looked back to him with a loving look in her eyes he had never caught before.

He knew this time, what she wanted to say, and for some reason it frightened him. He felt nervous, heartbroken, and distraught. He couldn't breath. All he could do was move away from her until he was backed up against the wall of the cart. "This can't be happening…" He whispered in a foreign voice that wasn't his own, and he felt the horrific alien feeling of tears welling in the corners of his eyes.

He blinked them shut.

"This can't be happening…"

He opened his eyes. This time he was stood in the centre of one of the Haunted Hotel guest rooms. He knew who's the voice was now, Tifa's…

She was stood against her room window, rain thumping down against the glass that she had her hands pressed against. She appeared to be…crying? She was staring at something, completely distraught.

Cloud moved carefully towards her, until he was standing behind her, and he at once saw what was causing her to feel this way, just as he had experienced just now.

The Gondola.

It was just passing by overhead. Even from here you could make out from where the cable hung the Gondola not far away, the faces of the two inside. The young woman sitting close to the man, both kept intimately in their gaze.

His breath choked in his mouth.

He was staring guiltily at himself with Aeris, enjoying a night of fun together, all the while Tifa had been standing left behind, and alone, in her room.

He felt sickened instantly. The feelings he had felt just now in the cart with Aeris had been Tifa's feelings. They had burned his sole so painfully in those few seconds; he almost found it impossible to imagine Tifa withstanding it for so long. She must have suffered like this all along…he was killing her.

As soon as the Gondola moved away along its course, out of sight, Tifa's body slid to the ground, trembling in agony as she cried endless tears into her knees she hugged so tightly to her chest.

Cloud stood there frozen. He wanted to scoop her up, to hold her in his arms, say how sorry he was, tell her he didn't mean it, kiss her, share her, guard her.

But it was too late.

Her image faltered until it vanished to leave him in a black endless space, only the echoes of Tifa's heartbroken sobs journeyed with him here. He started running into the blackness, unsure of his direction.

"Tifa!" His footsteps pounded against the floor silently.

"Tifa! Oh God I'm so sorry…"

He stopped, exhausted. He could hear his panting now, at normal level. Her voice had disappeared.

Slowly, he fell to the ground, bowing his head as he clenched his eyes shut.

"I never meant to hurt you…"

Suddenly, glinting in the darkness, he looked up to see a green light. It moved closer to him, snaking around in gentle movement, more and more green lights joining with it, appearing one after the other, in a circle around him. He felt them drawing close, but he didn't falter. He felt warmed, as if someone was saving him, as if these were here to save him from his nightmare, if this is indeed what this was.

All at once, the green lights lifted above him, coming together to form a point. He barely had time to look up at it before it dove straight down, through his chest.

Cloud inhaled deeply in shock, and as he did so, he was welcomed by the noise of the highwind's engines once more. He looked around him suddenly. His crew were slowly getting up from where they had been thrown down by the impact of the final overpowering of Holy and the Lifestream against meteor. He could hear their voices groaning to one another, as they complained of various minor pains, and signalled for one another.

Just then, he felt Tifa stir in his arms. He looked down on her to his relief to be holding her again, and he encased her protectively with his arms. She nuzzled against him as she slowly came around to waking, and lifted her head to look up at him with a small smile.

"We're ok." She said, moving her hand to his cheek. "We survived. The planet, Holy…she did it. We're alive."

Cloud could only smile back at her.

Slowly he felt himself leaning forwards. The images of her in her dream were overpowering. Feeling her against him like that, it tempted him so badly…

"Hey you guys!"

Clouds head snapped up and he turned to look up at the beaming face of Barrett. Tifa did the same.

"Looks like we're all 'counted for! Come on, we're headin' to Cosmo Canyon to celebrate!"

With that, Barrett grabbed Cloud by his forearm and pulled him onto his feet, slapping his back triumphantly. "So what do ya say, you up for it Spike?"

Cloud, still dazed barely managed a nod.

Once Barrett left him, smiling broadly, Cloud glanced back to look for Tifa – just in time to see her being led away by a gleeful looking Yuffie.

He sighed. There would be another time. He wouldn't let his need and want for her to lay dormant much longer. Not now he had witnessed what lay in her heart.

* * *

Author's Notes

This was another one shot. I can leave it here for you guys if you like, or I can write a next scene at Cosmo candle is you want? Between our two favourites. But I dunno, I might screw it up. Plus if I leave this as it is with an open, yet implied ending, it lets you all make up your own, satisfying everybody!

So come on, gimme feedback!

Xx Jessie xX


	2. II

Cloud was determined. He had never been more certain of a decision regarding Tifa before. Ever since looking in places he never should have been, he had emerged from his journey into her thoughts, a new man.

Sort of.

Because as determined as he may have been in finding her, he had been standing outside her door for the past half an hour.

"What am I doing?" He thought aloud, rubbing his forehead with his hand. Leaning his intimidating frame on the wood behind him, he felt heavier than Barrett. His thoughts alone were weighing him down. The door creaked beneath his slumped form but he wouldn't budge.

But Tifa was about to make him.

"Hello?" Came a muffled, but recognisable voice from the other side of the door.

In an instant Cloud stood bolt upright facing the wood as if it had just attacked him. His crystal blue eyes widened in shock - now what the hell was he going to do?

His plan had got no further than wanting to find her…he still had no idea what he wanted to say.

He croaked an inaudible sound but Tifa hadn't caught it, and just as Cloud had decided on the silent act until she forgot about the noise he had made, his eyes strained against his lids when he saw the rickety doorknob slowly begin to turn…

Tifa pulled open the door to her room in one of Cosmo Canyon's lower passages with slow caution. She didn't know who or what she was expecting to see, but it certainly wasn't an empty hallway. Furrowing her thin eyebrows in confusion, she stepped out barefoot onto the sandy pathway to inspect further. After a few minutes looking from left to right, then left again, Tifa suddenly caught sight of her four-legged friend emerging from the shadows of the cavern hall.

Tifa jumped slightly then sighed in relief, greeting Nanaki with a smile. But a mysterious knowing look played on the beasts face, and Tifa knew something suspicious was going on.

Nanaki simply glanced at her before walking past, shaking his head.

"That boy is useless…"

Now she was even more confused. Watching the Canyon's guardian wander down the curving hallway out of sight, Tifa stood dumbfounded.

"I need sleep." She muttered to herself before turning in for the night.

- - -

Cloud felt like an idiot.

And surprisingly, the ring of flowers a local villager had placed on the crown of his head wasn't the cause. Though that did not particularly help either. Sighing into his hands, he ran their rough surfaces down his face and shook his weary head. Blinking his blue eyes back into focus of the Cosmo Candle that blazed brightly in front of him, he tried to form a second plan of action. Something had to be done…their journey was over now. Cloud was losing time. He could already hear Barrett loudly announcing he would be returning to Corel in the morning, an enthusiastic Marlene nodding in excitement. The girl sat in the large man's lap, a place she had barely left since they made the detour to collect her from Kalm.

The other members of his team were no doubt also making their own arrangements to settle somewhere once again. And Cloud had a sinking feeling that Tifa would take up Yuffie's offer to stay in Wutai.

A shiver crept up on him when he thought about that.

What would Aeris think of him now? If she were here she would be sitting on his right in that spot she favoured, giving him _that _look. He would probably turn his head away and continue his brooding, but he would give her three seconds before he expected the pink ribbon in her hair to creep into focus as she leaned her head in front of him. Then her eyes…

Cloud sat upright. He wasn't helping himself by going down that particular road of memory. He knew Aeris would want to smack him over the head with her rod and spur him into action. So why was he still glued to the floor?

"Come _onnn _Tifa!"

Cloud's head shot up.

"Yuffie - I really -"

"'_Don't feel like celebrating' _- pfft, give me a break. Of course you do! We aint had anythin' to celebrate since Cid broke the slot that Cait's predictions came out of."

Despite her stubborn plight, Tifa couldn't help a smile at that memory.

And it didn't go unnoticed by Yuffie. "Haha, see? I saw that. Now come on, just have a drink at _least_! And no, before you start, they aren't alcoholic. Just really good fruity stuff, come on you'll see!"

She was annoying at times, far too sure of her own decisions and had a voice of unnatural volume, but one thing about Yuffie was how easily her good mood was caught by those around her. And even a very reluctant Tifa allowed herself to be dragged over to a crowded bar stand because of that.

Though he could barely see the top of her head over the crowd, Cloud followed her movements with his eyes. She must have been sleeping - or trying to - when Yuffie got hold of her. He could tell by the way her hair had a kink in it on one side. That would drop out soon enough though, it always did.

Cloud blinked and turned around quickly. He sounded obsessed…

A cheerful looking old woman was laughing heartily as she handed out drinks to paying customers. A wreath of blue flowers hung around her neck, her grey hair let loose in waves about her shoulders. Wiping her wet hands on her waist apron, she turned her attention to Tifa and smiled. "What can I get for you young Lady?"

"Hold it!"

Tifa had barely parted her lips to reply when she was stunned by a loud male voice. Then all at once Cid Highwind appeared in front of her looking very pleased with himself.

"Cid? What the heck are you doin?" Yuffie piped up with, gawping at the pilot in confusion.

He was _behind _the bar.

"shurrup kid. Hey Teefar! Woman ere said she'd gimme a whole bottle of sumthin if I helped out. And dammit I can't think of any place else to celebrate than atta bar wit' alcorol!" He half spoke, half slurred.

Tifa giggled. "_Alcohol_, Cid." She corrected. The grin still didn't move off of his face. It was as if nothing could annoy him or down heart him and Tifa shot him a winning smile right back.

"Come on then, whaddya want kid?" He asked Tifa, then attempted to add discreetly, "I'll nab a shot of the strong stuff innit too." The man had tried to lean in and whisper it, but instead managed to shout it at her over the noise of other customers - right into her ear.

Shaking her head quickly to fight off the ringing sensation in her ear, Tifa held a hand up at Cid. "No, thank you…fruit juice will be fine. Or, whatever it is you are serving that Yufiie is so pleased about." she turned to glance at Yuffie then, only to almost fall over in an attempt to back away. The young ninja was trying to force something dark purple and green over her head.

Holding her hands up to guard herself, Tifa tried to stop her younger friend. "Yuffie wha - ?"

"Oh for Hyne's sake Tifa! Just be fun for once would you?"

Tifa felt a jolt of hurt at these words and let her guard down accidentally to look at her friend with an apologetic glance. And this was all Yuffie needed to shove the flowers over Tifa's head.

Looking down at the wreath of petals and leaves, Tifa tried to make sense of the gesture - and where Yuffie had gotten the 'gift'.

Yuffie was adjusting her own crown of yellow blossoms when she caught Tifa's accusing look. "Now don't give me that look, everyone is giving them away! Honest! These people are happy Tifa, you should try it sometime." With that, the young ninja turned with her drink in hand and hurried off to join in with the dancers next to the materia huts who were asking for volunteers to join them.

Tifa sat for a moment watching them with a smile. A red-haired woman seemed quite taken with Vincent by the looks of things, and was probably asking him to dance. Tifa barely caught the movement of her friend's lips in reply before the dancer's face fell and she hurried off offended.

Tifa shook her head. Would he ever lighten up?

Then Yuffie's words repeated in her head and she asked herself if she herself would ever kick back once in a while.

"There ya are!" Tifa's head swung round to look up. Her eyes softened as she met a pair of slightly glazed over blue eyes. "Thanks Cid." She replied with a nod. She picked up the odd looking cup and observed it. It was brown in colour, but had a furry surface. It was probably a hollowed out fruit shell she mused before she pinched a thin leaf straw in her fingers and bent down to take a sip through it.

Sitting up again she smiled in pleasant surprise at Cid, who only looked even more pleased with himself. "Haha! Good lass. Get that down ya an' send 'Count up-his-ass' over for one." Tifa giggled and blew bubbles into her drink by accident. "I don't think Vincent would appreciate that new one. He still hasn't gotten over the last one…" She cast a knowing glare at Cid who laughed heartily as he leaned on the bar top. "Oh yer! I remember now. He $&!£! earned that one though."

Tifa shook her head but didn't press the matter. At least the 'Count' title of his new nickname was slightly more formal than the previous 'creature features' Cid called him after he caught a growl out of Vincent that he thought resembled a behemoth. Vincent had refused to speak to Cid for the next two days.

Turning her attention back to the festival-like atmosphere behind her, Tifa smiled, twirling her straw in her fingers. Dancers seemed to fill the whole place with an uplifting spirit. The music that accompanied them from a small gathering of musicians was surprisingly lively and loud enough to be carried throughout the whole area. Vincent had disappeared from his former spot, Tifa noticed with a frown. She felt like scolding him for returning back to his quarters, but then she quickly reminded herself that she had been doing the same not long ago. She just hadn't felt like celebrating…

Stopping herself from thinking about the darker areas of her thoughts, Tifa turned around slightly in her seat to face the opposite side.

And that was when she saw him.

Cloud was sitting alone at the Candle. Children opposite him were putting on face paints and dancing in front of the flame as if they were mimicking a cheerful chant or ritual, judging by all the laughing. Cloud seemed oblivious however. Smiling quietly to herself Tifa turned back to Cid, and got his attention with a light touch on his arm.

"Could you add another straw please Cid?" Taking it in his stride without question, Cid plonked another thin straw into Tifa's cup as he carried on talking away to a fellow engineer.

It took her almost a minute to stand up from her stool into a free space of ground that wasn't covered by the jovial crowd. Cid was quite the people gatherer. The fact that he had engineered the first rocket made him the subject of many elders attention and questioning. The more Cid was admired, the happier he got. Tifa wondered to herself if he would ever get back to his room at all before dawn, not that it mattered. They all had his crew to rely on to fly them to their chosen homes tomorrow. Good job, as Cid was already intoxicated.

Shaking her head at him with a quiet laugh at the sight of his over-enthusiastic wave to her, Tifa finally got away from the crowd and into the lantern lit area beyond it. The central land she stood in was bordered by the canyon on all sides, except the one space where the welcome steps descended. She could still remember the first time they had all walked up them, Nanaki bounding in front, his flame tail almost scolding Tifa's bare legs.

Cloud had even put his hand on her shoulder to slow her down enough to ask if she had been hurt…

A smile couldn't help but form on her face as she watched the empty staircase opposite her. She could almost picture his face that night, full of concern he rarely showed openly.

Pivoting in her small spot, Tifa stood on her tiptoes to look over the heads of the many people celebrating, to catch a glimpse of the man in question.

The whole place was alive. Children sported makeshift masks and face paints, all of which (Tifa suddenly noticed) resembled Nanaki's headdress. They were running around flustered adults, growling and dragging very poor excuses for tails behind them. The brunette had to giggle at their efforts, despite how hard they must have tried. The elders even seemed to let loose this night, either clutching tankards in their hands, taking part in the dancing, the singing or even joining the musicians. The younger adults were simply glad to forget their studies and have something to be genuinely happy about for once - a few wearing little to fend off the night air, it had to be said. But the atmosphere here was always pleasantly warm Tifa had to agree. She had worn even less than a few of the girls here, when she had travelled with Avalanche, so she bit her tongue from making further judgements.

Just as she spotted a very obvious blond hairstyle at last, a young woman looked to be running straight for her. Tifa barely had time to blink before the local woman was in front of her, face beaming with a smile.

"Oh…wow!" She exclaimed, looking Tifa over. Feeling more than a little self conscious, Tifa moved her free hand down to pull the hem of her mini-skirt down a little, but tensed up in shock when her hand fell on too much fabric. Moving her hand down further, she still couldn't find the hem and Tifa looked down suddenly.

Charcoal black fabric fell down her thighs coming to stop a few inches above her knees in a loose slanted fashion. Blinking in confusion, Tifa examined herself more to discover it was a black dress she found herself in. Her head shot up so fast to look at the stranger in front of her for an explanation; she nearly spilled her drink over herself.

"Wha - what?"

A laugh responded.

"What are you looking at _me _for? Ha, I asked if you needed anything on arrival remember? Your clothes were tattered and bloodied up. Not pretty enough for a victory festival, remember? So I found you something to wear. And just look at you! By the stars above, I wish I could fill out a dress like you."

The blond woman looked up at Tifa in admiration, a genuine smile on her face, while Tifa was blushing a brighter colour than the purple flowers around her neck.

"Umm, oh. Thank you then. Miss…?"

"Talia." A younger voice replied, adding a little wave in greeting.

Tifa giggled and rubbed her red cheeks with her hand in embarrassment. "You must think I'm a complete idiot." Tifa assumed, now that she had a near heart attack over changing her clothes.

"No! No way. You'd be surprised how many of the girls are trying to be like you. I mean you fought Sephiroth! All we get to do is learn about it." She said with a shrug. "You're not an idiot Tifa Lockheart, you're wonderful! You're just like us, when we thought you'd be all…I dunno…pleased with yourself, you know?"

Tifa scoffed at the idea and shook her head. "Oh I would never-"

"I know! And…" She stepped closer, and Tifa leaned in to hear. "You have the best boyfriend in the world!" Even after Talia had stepped back, giggling into a cupped hand, Tifa stood frozen on the spot, completely confused about everything the girl had just said.

Then it dawned on her. No sooner had her blush gone than it returned at an even brighter shade.

"You mean…_Cloud_?"

The girl nodded.

"N-no no! I mean, not like that, we aren't, we…we just…uh…" Tifa paused. "Talia?"

"Yes?"

"Can I go now?"

The woman broke into a fit of laughter at Tifa's expense and the fighter found herself laughing along with her.

"Okay okay, fine. But it's a good atmosphere to snap him up you know. And you look really nice in that dress too, promise. I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it. Have a good night Tifa Lockheart!" With that, Talia disappeared in the crowds.

Tifa must have stood in the same spot for five minutes as she thought over the conversation she had just had. Sure it was what she wanted, but Cloud was never the boyfriend type. The word alone probably scared him. But…how was it that so many complete strangers here were already presuming the two were a couple? She hadn't even spoken to him since they got here tonight.

Just when she was about to hide in her room again, Tifa spotted Talia squatting next to Cloud - Her whole body suddenly froze over in fear. Cloud's head stayed tilted down slightly, his eyes still unmoving from the flame in front of him, until Talia leaned in and said a particular something. Those oceanic blue eyes blinked into life and turned on Tifa faster than she could avoid. She would have tried to look casual, had she been warned. But as it happened, she ended up gawping at him like a stunned chocobo, completely unprepared.

They locked eyes.

Cloud fixed her with his usual glare at first, until something softened behind the glassy blue orbs, as his gaze wandered to take the rest of her in. Tifa couldn't bring herself to do anything apart from stand there, looking at him in silence. She felt completely exposed now that he was looking at her. The warrior's body even seemed to relax, the more he looked at her. And despite her initial fear, Tifa had the overwhelming urge to run to him and throw her arms around him. He looked so inviting sitting there in the firelight…

That was until a cold hand clasped Tifa's wrist and she spun around in reaction.

"Vincent!" she almost shouted, more than a little exasperated from her brief moment with Cloud.

Caught off guard, Vincent raised his eyebrows in confusion, before Tifa swallowed and calmed herself. "What can I do for you Vincent?" She asked, her normal, non-crazy voice returning to her.

"I wondered if you would accompany me to the observatory. Nanaki finds himself in higher demand than expected, and recommended you as a guide. If you are also busy, forgive me for the interruption." His cool voice seemed to clear her mind of every prior thought that had been swimming in her mind and she found herself agreeing after no more than a split second.

Leaving a very frustrated Cloud Strife to brood by himself.


	3. III

**Warning **- This chapter contains mildly mature themes - **Thank you**

"This is stupid." Cloud muttered to himself after half an hour had passed.

Tifa had simply wandered off with Vincent, no questions asked. If only he had that much influence over her…maybe this task wouldn't be so hard? He shook his head at the thought. She gave him more attention than any other member of the team, so who was he to complain if she spared a few moments with the loner of the group?

Well, he was one very paranoid fighter, when these 'moments' turned into almost an hour of time.

Sighing in defeat, he was about to retire to his room when he heard a subtle sound amongst all the noise. His head tilted slightly as he tried to follow the approaching sounds, but by the time he'd figured out that they were footsteps, a voice signalled the person had already arrived.

"Well I was going to offer you one of my flowers but, well, it seems you're doing alright for them yourself."

Cloud looked up and blinked dumbly at Tifa. His blue eyes widened ever so slightly, his lips parting as he took in the sight of her. The black dress she had been given wasn't made of any rich fabric, but was simply woven with care. It looked smooth and well made, and he couldn't help but swallow hard when he saw how well it fitted her. Only when she bit her lip out of shy awkwardness did Cloud register her words at last.

"What?"

Tifa giggled at how long it took him to form such a small response. With a delicate finger raised, she pointed at his head. His hand went up immediately and it dawned on him when he felt the wreath of blue flowers sitting there. Tensing with embarrassment, he made a move to pull them off of him, having completely forgotten them, but Tifa's hand grabbed his wrist.

Their eyes met again.

"Oh no you don't Cloud Strife, you're going to sit there and wear them. It's more fun now you _know _you're wearing them…" Her eyes danced with life as a smile lit up her features in the firelight and she made a move to sit beside him. Finally letting go of Cloud's wrist, Tifa turned to him slightly and plucked one of the purple flowers from the ring that hung around her neck and down onto her chest. Pausing for a moment, she fixed it carefully in her hair, just above her left ear and then handed the rest of her flowers to a passing girl.

All the while Cloud watched her with interest. The simple movements she made like wrinkling her nose and licking her upper lip when she concentrated …it was these things he always took care to notice. Unknown to him, a softness grew in his eyes and as always, Tifa spotted it.

"What?" She asked with a small smirk.

"Nothing…"

Tifa looked doubtful. "Hmm…fine. Well could you at least tell me why you've been sitting here all night by yourself?" She nudged him lightly on the arm and leaned closer for a second. "Hiding from all the dancing girls?" She whispered knowingly with a wink.

'_Don't do that…'_

Cloud thought to himself, swallowing a lump in his throat until she finally leaned back to give them a little more breathing space. She really had no clue of the effect she had on him just by being close.

Shifting her bare legs slightly, Tifa curled them underneath her and leaned to the right, her palm pressed flat on the ground so she could support herself. Blowing loose hair out of her eyes, she sighed.

It looked like she was waiting for something…

Cloud could have hit himself -

"Oh yeah, uh…I mean no, I wasn't. I'm not. I just…" His voice died as soon as Tifa caught his eyes with her own gaze. It was just a simple look, one she had given many times before when she was attentive. But the mirth in her eyes, and that dress, not to mention her carefree relaxed attitude tonight - it just wasn't helping Cloud look all that mature when he ended up wordlessly gawping at her.

"Cloud…?"

He gulped. "Uh, yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

"No." '_What? Dammit!'_

Instantly, Tifa's face filled with worry and she moved closer to look at him with concern. Reaching her hand out she rubbed his arm gently. "Cloud what's wrong?"

'_Please don't do that…'_

"No Tifa, I'm fine, honest. I thought you meant was I ok with all the dancers being everywhere, and all the people bothering me - which I'm not. I'm ok. I just wanted some time alone."

Her eyes lowered and she let go of him, sitting back. "Oh…then I should leave you to it. I should be going to my room anyway…"

'_No! I didn't mean you!' _

Without thinking, Cloud reached out and clasped her hand in his to stop her leaving. Turning back to him with a bewildered look on her face, Tifa stopped.

"Tifa I…" Cloud swallowed and tried his hardest to form intelligent words while looking at her. "I didn't mean you." He answered honestly.

Tifa seemed to mull this over and nodded eventually, though still not certain - Cloud could tell by the doubtful smile she gave him. But feeling assured she would stay, Cloud let go slowly and set his elbows on his raised knees once more.

Moments of silence passed comfortably between the pair, as always. But chancing a look away from the fire, Cloud spotted Tifa staring at him. His head turned to face her in confusion.

She didn't budge. Her brown eyes were focussed on his hair, a small playful smile on her face, as she propped her chin up in her palm.

He didn't even have to ask what it was this time.

Sighing with frustration, Cloud yanked the flowers off of his head before Tifa could stop him. Shoving them beside her, he looked forward once more, his eyebrows knitted together. Tifa just laughed at him and tried coaxing the flowers back into his hands, but he kept shrugging them away every time.

Tifa only found this more entertaining because of the pout on his face.

"Aw…come on Cloud, I was just looking! I wasn't saying anything!"

"…"

"Cloud! Please?"

The warrior simply glared forwards in annoyance, trying his best to make himself the epitome of masculinity, but Tifa's head slowly crept into his view as she leaned in to look up at him. His hard eyes faltered as he glanced at her. Those big brown eyes were looking straight up at him and he was having a hard time ignoring them.

"I'm sorry…I won't mention it again…" Her voice said. "Forgive me…?" She looked far too adorable to ignore anymore and Cloud knew it. Trying to act nonchalant however, Cloud nodded curtly and looked away.

But Tifa was in far too much of a good mood to let him off easily. Taking delight in her small victory, she pinched his cheek and shook his face from side to side a couple of times before letting go.

"Aw thanks Cloud. See? You're nice really…" Tifa claimed with a giggle.

Looking as hard faced as ever, it was impossible for Tifa to detect the laugh Cloud was hiding behind his façade. She just uplifted him with all of her funny quirks, but he was still too proud to show his lighter side. Even to her.

For the moment anyway.

More time lazily passed by in front of the flickering flames, and Cloud eventually noticed Tifa hadn't said anything for some time. Glancing casually her way, his face fell when he couldn't spot her. Turning around to face her side, Cloud looked at the empty space in confusion and shock.

"Tifa?" He called.

But no sooner had he started to panic with the feeling of loss, she popped into his viewpoint once again. His thumping heart settled immediately as he caught her in his sight - but it started up again just as quickly.

She must have left while he was being grumpy and he hadn't noticed, but now she was walking toward him in a way that had his full attention. Her eyes were trained on him as she moved, bare legs moving gracefully with each deliberate step. Her long hair hung loosely about her, framing her face and smooth shoulders in a way he rarely saw. And for some reason, he recognised the certain way in which she approached him. He just couldn't pinpoint why…

Then all of a sudden it hit him -

On the Highwind. In the dream-like state Cloud had slipped into with Tifa, he saw a seductive side of her he never knew existed -and here it was, plain as day.

And she was getting closer.

Cloud didn't know what to do. His body froze stubbornly, not allowing him to scurry away or back up against another wall. He just sat there watching her, eyes locked. He gulped in air to try and sustain his aching lungs but air still seemed to rush from his mouth in exasperation.

Tifa had developed a whole new attraction to Cloud tonight. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that the trials and fights were all over, or if it were simply the relieved mood she was in, but her closest friend suddenly became her whole world. Ignoring whatever Cid had called her over for, Tifa just started walking toward Cloud as soon as he caught her eye again, wanting to be close to him in a way she had never been brave enough to before. But suddenly, be it the stars or the firelight, she had a new source of confidence and pursued her desire just this once.

When she arrived by him, she looked at him in a way that beckoned him, unknown to her. But as it so often was, one look from Tifa could make Cloud bend to her will even if she didn't want him to.

Before she could sit down, Cloud was on his feet in a split second and grasped her hand firmly in his own. Without a word he lead her through the crowds and as if by some strange mutual understanding, she let him without question.

He knew his path and lead her on with no hesitation. Somehow, he was already certain of where to go. And he now realised why he hadn't locked his door.

Walking straight in, Cloud lead her into the candlelit cavern room. Tifa closed the door behind them without needing to think and he was already facing her when she turned.

Then everything stopped.

The moment they were caught in paused with them both trapped inside. Neither could nervously ignore it, not this time. They had already come too far. So when Cloud walked up to her, Tifa didn't lower her bashful gaze and he didn't walk by stubbornly. Their eager eyes met right up until they mutually closed.

Her arms slipped almost too perfectly around his neck, and her shape felt like she had been moulded just to fit into _his_ hands.

Hot bursts of air fell on each other's lips as they tried to catch their breath. Noses brushed against one another, eyelashes stroked soft and hard skin, barely blinking. And finally, their lips parted against each other in a single moment before capturing themselves in a kiss. His mouth was smooth where hers was full, and with each push they found themselves unable to let go.

His hands roamed the small of her back, pulling her in even closer. A small sigh trembled her lips softly when her body was drawn against him as soft muffled sounds of a guitar lead melody fainted in from outside. After a lingering kiss, Cloud gently teased himself away with light kisses until his mouth wandered over the smooth contours of her jaw and down the curve of her neck. Tilting her head back, Tifa's hands slipped down to grip his shirt and she held on while he ravished her with soft attention. He noticed with new satisfaction how she tightened her grip on his shirt when his teeth graced over the light hairs on the back of her neck before nipping the skin.

He'd definitely remember that one. Especially because of the way she sighed in contentment whenever he did it.

What he hadn't bargained on however, was that he would feel just as good by the simple act of her holding onto him. He felt more than wanted by her, for the first time since he could remember, he felt truly _needed _. In this realisation, his dominant side took over when he suddenly pushed her up against the door. But judging by the way she pulled him into a firm kiss, she wasn't displeased in the slightest.

Still grabbing fistfuls of his shirt, Tifa tilted her head so that she could move her lips in time with his, revelling at how his kisses grew more demanding. Planted her right foot back against the door, Tifa bent her knee so she could slide her foot up along the wooden surface. Her thigh now level with his hips, she wrapped her arms around his neck once more and pulled him further in.

Cloud felt completely consumed by her. She surrounded him with everything she had and he didn't want anything to break it. Reaching his hand down carefully, Cloud felt for the lock to slide it into place, but blinked his eyes open in confusion when he felt Tifa's hand already there. Breaking their kiss briefly, Cloud looked down at her in surprise but she merely replied with a swift push of the lock, matching the smirk that had crept onto his face.

The possibility of being found out exhilarated them and only seemed to spur them on further. Cupping his face in her hands, Tifa looked up with half-lidded eyes as Cloud checked the lock. Barely being able to stand the brief pause, she breathlessly whispered his name in anticipation and he faced her in an instant, kissing her with a new intensity. Tifa surprised herself with her eagerness as she tugged his shirt roughly out of his pants. Parting her lips against his, she slid her hands underneath the heavy fabric and smoothed her fingers over his chest, her nerves tingling when he slid his tongue into her mouth.

They found a fiery hunger in their kisses after that, Cloud being unable to resist sucking in her bottom lip briefly, amazed at the perfection of such a small part of her. The fullness of her lips enticed him to kiss her, never wanting to stop. He tried to get as much of her as he could, pressing and pushing as she massaged his tongue erotically with her own.

Without warning, Tifa raked her small nails down his sensitive back and Cloud had to press his palms on the door either side of her head to support himself. His body tensed under her touch as she seemed to set every one of his senses alight. His back twitched and arched him against her with every lazy line she traced along his skin. Moving her hands lower, Tifa tilted her head at a small angle and teased him by keeping her parted lips barely a breath away from his. So when her nails swept across the back of his hips, his full attention was solely focussed on that one touch of hers and he automatically bucked against her. Not expecting the sensation of their sudden, specific contact, Cloud's throat rumbled with a soft growl.

Tifa could feel him strain against the fabric of his pants and was already addicted to the friction. Tucking her fingertips carefully behind his waistband, she pulled him right up against her and he hissed through clenched teeth at the brief stroke over his skin by those nails of hers. Palms now practically glued to the door in the tension, Cloud started breathing heavily.

"Tifa…" He warned, his husky voice barely able to steady itself. He wouldn't be able to hold himself for much longer if she carried on, and he needed to know she was sure.

She met his close gaze with her own, and not a shred of doubt could be found in either glance. How they had gotten into such a situation so suddenly, they couldn't comprehend. But something finally gave way tonight, and neither of them was willing to waste it. Tifa's look with both knowing and serious and Cloud noticed a maturity in her deep brown eyes all of a sudden. In their silent exchange of knowledge, they both realised they had been wanting the same thing all along, and it wasn't instinct. There was reason behind their desires, purpose and explanations that they were still unsure of how to say.

But words weren't needed anymore as Cloud lifted Tifa in his arms, not daring to break the contact, and lead her to the bed he hadn't been able to rest in alone.

**Author Notes:** This addition to my previous one-shot fic was brought on by the wonderful author Hipathya. Her recent review on this old fic was so enthusiastic it spurred me into adding more to the tale. And I hope you all enjoyed it. But in the beginning, there were mixed views on the matter of turning this into a multi-chapter or leaving it alone. So comments would be HIGHLY appreciated, believe me. I really hope I didn't mess this up, because I was really happy with the original idea of this one-shot. But As Hipathya suggested, I am toying with adding a final chapter. I don't particularly want to, but what do you guys think? And feedback would be treasured beyond belief guys! So come on, give me a bell okay?

Xx Jessie xX


	4. IV

Cloud's body finally relaxed with a shuddering sigh.

Panting heavy breaths, he found it a struggle to support himself now that every ounce of excited energy had drained out of him. Within seconds his arms started to buckle under his weight and he cringed in embarrassment at how truly exhausted he was.

He still couldn't believe what had just happened, or who with.

And now everything was starting to come back into focus. His heart-rate started to calm itself again as his breathing evened out, allowing him to slowly open his blue eyes to look down at her - and everything suddenly seemed surreal again.

Tifa Lockheart was laying below him, a thin gathering of sweat clinging to her warm skin. She was unmoving from exhaustion apart from the steady rising and falling of her chest. Cloud's blue eyes watched with simple fascination as she lifted her hand up to brush the loose hair out of her eyes before she slowly exhaled. Then dark eyelashes lifted, and her eyes greeted him with a dreamy smile.

Cloud couldn't help it; he leant down to kiss her again, with a tenderness that caused a contented sigh to escape her already breathless voice. Once their lips parted, Cloud could barely bring himself to lift away from her.

Blinking slowly, Tifa brought her hands up to frame her new lover's face. Her fingertips pushed tiny beads of sweat aside as she smoothed her hands over his cheeks. Still trying to compose himself, Cloud fought to keep himself supported on his palms but Tifa was still making him shudder beneath her touch. Knowing he was too tired to support himself for much longer, Tifa smiled and pulled him down to rest on her.

Cloud exhaled in relief as he laid his head down beneath her chin, blue eyes closing instantly. His arms simply flopped where they were either side of her and he thought for a minute that his pounding heart would be hurting her, until he noticed the mutual sound of heavy breathing coming from the woman laying below him. The fact caused the corners of his mouth to tug upwards. He had certainly worn her out as much as she had him.

But before he could relax into sleep, a small laugh shook Tifa's torso gently.

"…it was _you_ wasn't it?"

Masculine eyes blinked open in tired confusion and Tifa waited for him to respond. But all she got by way of an answer was the murmur of his lips against her collarbone inaudibly for a second. She could just picture the look of puzzlement on his face. "Earlier." She went on, "Somebody was outside my door for ages, I could hear them fidgeting…but when I opened the door they had disappeared."

She giggled again and Cloud cringed. He swallowed hard and tried to muster up an excuse for his behaviour, but thinking back on it, he didn't have much in the way of a reason. "I can't believe I didn't realise it was you Cloud…why didn't you just knock and let me know?"

Cloud didn't say anything.

Tifa brought her arms loosely around his neck and kissed the top of his head. "It doesn't matter. You can tell me another time." she said through a small yawn and closed her eyes.

Although he was relieved that he didn't have to respond, Cloud felt he needed to finally start giving her the answers she wanted from him. So after a deep breath, he opened his eyes to look for something to focus on before parting his lips, "I saw something Tifa."

Tifa blinked in surprise at the unexpected sound of his voice, and her eyes softened in concern at the nature of his cryptic words. His Adam's apple nudged against her as he swallowed, and she waited for him to explain before she let herself worry about what he might mean.

"While we were on the Highwind after Holy came, when we fell I - I felt something happen to me but I don't know what it was. It felt like I'd been sent somewhere again…like when I was taken to find Sephiroth on my own that last time…"

Now Tifa was worried.

Cloud stopped speaking when he felt Tifa's arms pull him closer. Sensing her unease, he moved his right hand up to cup her shoulder in front of him and leaned over to kiss her warm skin there.

She smiled at his comfort and gently pulled back some of his hair that fell in his eyes.

Taking that as a sign to continue, Cloud coughed his rough voice clear and carried on.

"It felt like a sort of dream I guess, but I saw _you_."

" - What?"

"Yeah…but it…wasn't you either. I, it's hard to explain." He admitted, eyes watching the movements of his thumb as he lightly stroked Tifa's shoulder.

Tifa just stared at the clay red ceiling as she attempted to make sense of his comment. '_He was dreaming about me…' _was her first thought. But after she wiped the smile off of her face, she realised that it wasn't that simple, nor good. When she thought hard about it, she tried her best to make sense of his stumbling words.

"Like when we were in the life stream you mean?"

Cloud blinked.

"Yeah, actually that is pretty much how it was."

Tifa relaxed and started to slip her fingers through his hair again.

"It was like that, but in reverse as if I were looking into _your _head." Cloud started to remember the imagery from the dream-like state and tried to think about how he would word everything to her. Firstly there was the strange incident with a very young Tifa who ran away after her mother's ghost - '_or whatever it was'_, Cloud thought. And by the time she made her next appearance, she was her usual self. Well, almost…

Cloud couldn't stop the private smile on his face when he remembered this next part. He could see the infamous black dress from here, though it didn't have Tifa inside it anymore. And this version was very real. It, along with other articles of two people's clothing were scattered all over the ground. "I can see your dress." He muttered with a smirk.

"Huh?"

Cloud blinked. "Oh, I - I didn't - "

Tifa giggled and Cloud's words died in his mouth.

"You're getting side-tracked Cloud." He heard her voice say, and it was in that husky tone that caused him to pull her in here in the first place. He swallowed again and tried to compose himself, but her words alerted him to the fact that he could feel certain parts of her body pressing against him by how he was laying.

"And you're not helping." He said back in a stern voice. But even as he said it he propped himself up on his left hand and pulled his lips back in from his boyish smile to kiss her. He murmured in approval as Tifa's arms tightened around his neck and he almost lost himself with her again.

But he knew he still had a lot to say so he reluctantly pulled away -

Or at least tried to.

"- Eefa…" his muffled voice managed to say in protest against her lips when she simply pulled him closer the more he attempted to draw back. He was desperately trying to be serious and she was making it too difficult for him. But just when he was about to say to hell with it, she parted her lips from him and looked up into his eyes.

"Sorry, you were saying?" There was only what Cloud could describe as an evil smile on her face when she said that. He stubbornly fought with the smile that was sneaking on to his own face in response and tried keeping a stern face. Tifa just grinned at him.

"I am trying to explain something Tifa, when you've finished."

"Sorry, ahem. I am listening. Promise."

Cloud watched her for a few seconds. "You sure?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Good." He still waited though, and after a few seconds of seeing her warm brown eyes watch him intently, he spoke once more.

"I guess what I saw was, bits of your thoughts."

His voice drifted off when he saw that she was giving him one of her beckoning looks again. Not wanting to succumb so easily once more, he decided to turn the tables on her.

"I saw certain places in your thoughts that you were trying to hide, and I guess I realised that there was something going on with you that you hadn't told me…Though I think I already had a clue, as did everyone else." There was a knowing smile on his face then that spoke volumes.

Now it was Tifa's turn to feel uncomfortable.

Cloud's blue eyes picked up on the pinkish tint that blushed onto her cheeks and he smiled into his next words. "You had it for me _bad_."

Tifa's mouth gaped open in shock.

After she swatted him with her hand in response, he laughed softly to himself when she covered her reddening face with her hands. "Aw come on Tifa, it's okay…" He began, but then he noticed something. "Uh, not to alarm you or anything but I don't think it's your cheeks you should be covering if you want to hide. Something uh, _else_ tells me I'm right - " He mentioned, glancing down for a second at her naked torso.

Horrified, Tifa gasped and pulled her hands away suddenly - just in time to catch the grin on his face.

It took her all of three seconds to have him pushed over on his back, have his hands clamped down next to his head and her body on top of his. She also made sure she laid flat so her chest was successfully out of his line of sight.

Cloud on the other hand was just enjoying the attention, grinning up at her from ear to ear. The flustered angry look on her face only amused him more so.

"Well?" He prompted. But this only earned him a thump in the shoulder which he visibly winced from.

"Don't joke about that! It's not funny Cloud! This is serious, _the_ most serious thing I've ever thought about, and now after we've just - " Cloud pressed his lips to hers to quieten her. She didn't take long to give up, and soon let go of his wrist to curl her hands over his shoulders.

Breaking their contact, Cloud looked up at her carefully. Tifa looked down at him a lot more calmly and he felt it was safe to explain himself without getting hurt.

"Tifa I wasn't joking." He said with a raw honesty. "I just don't know how to be serious about us when we talk about it. Face it, we've never even spoken about an 'us' once before tonight, so I have a point."

She looked away for a second in thought before resting her head on his chest without protest.

"See? So…I just…I'm sorry for acting like an idiot. But you can't understand how unreal this is to me. I can't even remember how this started or who started it, but I…I…" Cloud stuttered into an awkward silence.

He couldn't say it.

He had suddenly run out of whatever confidence this strange night had given him. It had served him well up to now, more than well, but just when he was going to say what he finally wanted to, he froze.

"Tifa I…" His horse voice startled him. How could one small statement be so impossible to speak? His voice was struggling.

Not wanting Tifa to ask him what was wrong, Cloud stalled by moving his arms around her. "Tifa..." His large hands smoothed over her back, holding her gaze almost painfully as he finally mustered the courage to say it. "Tifa I - "

"…love you."

Cloud stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his lips still parted from unspoken words.

He couldn't move or speak or blink. He didn't dare do another thing. No, this wasn't part of the dream. It couldn't be. The last few seconds did happen, they must have.

His heart pounded in his chest as he waited. He wanted her to make a sign that he wasn't imagining it, that she had said what he thought she just did, what he wanted her to since they met in Nibelheim.

But she was quiet. Too quiet. And it hit him like a smack in the face why she wasn't dare saying anymore.

His strong arms moved straight away to encircle her tightly and he pulled her warm body against him until he could feel her rushing heart thumping in time with his. His lips planted kisses on her hair, her forehead, her nose, anywhere he could lean his head down to reach. And he was finally rewarded by her smile, as nervous as it was.

She had thought he didn't love her in return. Even after tonight. Because in that split second when he'd gone quiet, she thought he had tensed in regret.

His reaction now however, was so sweet and tender that she slowly let go of her doubts and embraced him for all that he was, realising what they both were now. When Cloud's lips moved to her neck, her troubled thoughts vanished and she shivered in response. She giggled when his light breath tickled her skin. Wriggling in his grasp, he only continued his assault on her until she laughed. "Cloud!" She protested, but he simply carried on, her laughter fuelling his movements.

"_Cloud?_" Came a third voice, and the couple immediately stopped.

"Why the hell can I hear giggling in there? And from a woman - what the hell is going on?"

Tifa lifted her head up and looked down at Cloud with a look of fear that was mirrored right there in his eyes. Then they both muttered the same word in a panicked breath,

"_Barrett!_"

* * *

**A'S N'S: **Hey everyone. Well this chapter is obviously not the last one - I wouldn't be that cruel to you all. I know I have not updated/reviewed anything for a heck of a long time and that is due to me moving into University! It is one hell of an experience and I recommend it to each and every one of you. Back to the story however, I wanted to handle this story in a tasteful and careful way so I am afraid I left the all important lemon out. This was done on purpose because I don't think most of my readers would have wanted one - and I would more than likely have been shouted at if I did one. Maybe I'll do a one-shot one day of it, but who knows. I hope the majorite enjoyed this anyway, I have fawned over it for far too long! Big thanks to Hipathya for reading this for me, and Gordon for, well, being Gordon! Great artist he is everyone! And lastly, you - yes you - person reading this, you're a real gem. Thanks for stopping by x.

Xx Jessie xX


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